Artificial leg



. PIATENTED AUG. '30-, 1859. 1). BLY.

ARTIFICIAL LEG.

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UTE STATES A TENT FCE.

DOUGLAS BLY, OF ROCHESTER, NEAV YORK.

ARTIFICIAL LEG.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 25,238, dated August 30, 18159:

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DOUGLAS BLY, of the city of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Artificial Legs, of which the following is a full and accurate description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

Of said drawings Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of my improved leg and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

The nature of this invention will be best understood from a description of its construction and use.-

In the drawing, Fig. 1, A is the leg, B a segment. of india-rubber or other elastic material attached to the foot or tarsus F by means of cement and C is the cord which binds the whole together.

The lower end of the leg being a plane surface has two dowelpins (a? (Z) which prevent it from turning around and the cord C forms the center of motion, its length remaining the same at all times. The construction of this leg allows of fiexion in all directions. For when a greater pressure is exerted on one side than the other the rubber on that side is compressed and the foot readily flexes on the leg. It is also obvious that the rubber will so far yield as to remove all shock or jar consequent upon the .foot coming suddenly in contact With the ground while atthe same time the contraction thus produced will not be sufiicient materially to affect the proper length of the limb.

The advantages of this construction of leg are that there are no rubbing surfaces giving rise to friction and noise, while the whole works so equably and smoothly and so deadens every shock as to prove extremely comfortable to the wearer. The lightness also of the limb is proportionally very great, there being little or no machinery and no heavy metallic parts.

Having thus described my invention what I claim therein as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination of the segment of rubber B or its equivalent with the foot F and leg A in themanner and for the purpose substantially as described.

2. I claim connecting the foot to the leg by means of the cord C or its equivalent thereby dispensing with all joints, bolts, hinges, and metal straps and the friction and noise to which they give rise.

DOUGLAS BLY.

Witnesses:

JOHN PI-IIN,

JOHN BRADFIELD. 

